Kazakhstan and Russia urged the US on Friday (16 March) to engage "in a constructive dialogue" in the context of the unfolding tragedy in Syria. But no US or Western diplomats were present at the eight edition of the Syria talks, held in the framework of the so-called Astana process.

Only a couple of years ago, a summit of the five Central Asia countries would have been absolutely unthinkable. But the leaders came together on Thursday (15 March) and decided to hold such meetings annually, always at the same time of the year, which is a major holiday in the region.

Bulgaria’s foreign ministry told Turkey on Tuesday (13 March) that internationally agreed borders cannot be changed, reacting to a statement by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who said on Sunday the Bulgarian city of Kardzhali finds itself “in the spiritual boundaries of Turkey”.

Russia warned Britain yesterday (13 March) to expect reprisals if it announces sanctions over the poisoning of a former double agent, as the US and other allies joined London in demanding answers on how a Soviet-designed nerve agent was used in the attack.

The European Parliament debated on Monday (12 March) the problems facing a landmark convention on protecting women from violence, which several member states, including Bulgaria, have yet to ratify. But Bulgaria, the current holder of the rotating EU presidency, was notable in its absence.

Austria plans to use its upcoming presidency of the European Union this year to shift the bloc's focus from resettling refugees within the EU towards keeping further waves of migrants outside the bloc's external borders, Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said on Friday (9 March).

An Istanbul court yesterday (8 March) sentenced 25 journalists to prison terms of up to seven and a half years over links to the group blamed by Turkey for the 2016 failed coup, in a mass trial of media staff detained after the putsch bid.

Warning of "a serious trade dispute" between Washington and the rest of the world, Commission President Donald Tusk said yesterday (7 March) the leaders of the bloc would hold emergency talks on the issue on the occasion of their 22-23 March summit.

EU defence ministers yesterday (6 March) held their first meeting in the 'PESCO format'. This means that, although ministers from all EU member states were present, only those participating in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) pact were involved in adopting legal acts.